The Problem With Pride Is
by Robotic Fox
Summary: People hid their emotions for a reason, right? After all, no one is truly emotionless. Annie and Armin friendship fic.


For as long as Armin had known Annie Leonhart, he could identify one trait about her that stood out from all the rest. Powerful. You could ask anyone in the squad and they would agree full-heartedly. Even those who didn't care for her, which was quite a couple, would say that the word fit her well.

She practically defined the word in every way after all. From the way she fought, to the way she meticulously handled missions and chores assigned to her, to they way she held herself, to even the way she detached herself from having emotional or friendly connections with anyone on the squad. Well-muscular for a female, she held her head up high, but was not one to boast. She only performed the tasks that needed to be done and nothing more. She held the air of a seasoned soldier, one who had fought countless amounts of wars, when really she had just passed training and was going to enter the Military Police.

Armin remembered that there had been a small passage in his Grandpa's book about the world beyond the wall that their was an animal called a lion that existed in a hot area of the world. It was apparently very strong and vicious and prideful. Every time he came in contact with Annie, he immediately thought of the sketches he had seen of the lioness looking over at the distance.

Armin had to admit, even though he didn't hold any kind of friendship with the blonde (did anyone really?), he admired her in more ways than just one. Maybe even envied her in some way. He liked to think of the feeling following more along the lines of admiration and respect.

While he had barely managed to skim being one of the top-ranking soldiers, she practically excelled at nearly everything, both mentally and physically. In that way, she reminded him a bit of Mikasa.

Both her and Mikasa were strong, powerful, capable of hiding their emotions when the time was needed, and were top of their classes. It was almost uncanny really. According to Reiner and Bertholdt, they had sensed that their were definatley some competitive vibes coming off both Mikasa and Annie with each other. Armin wouldn't of been surprised if that was true. Like mentioned before, both were strong and were very closely matched in statistics, but they were very different in personality and emotion.

Mikasa definitely harbored and let out more emotions. That both worked and went against her. Her emotions made her hold deep bonds with people and made her more likable to others. It also helped her when it came to working with a team, even despite her strength. It boosted her strive since she had someone she was working for. But it also worked against her.

Emotions can blind some and when pushed to the brink, she could become a little hotheaded and emotional, fighting out of line and trying to destroy everything herself. Eren had the same problem when it came to his own strong emotions. Plus, when a loss occurs, the blow is painful, which can be a difficult attribute for a soldier to maintain.

Annie was the polar opposite of Mikasa. While Mikasa frequented on the emotional spectrum, Annie was more stoic and didn't like to mingle with anyone. The rumor was that her last close friend had been Mina Carolina, but with her now dead, she had basically no other friendships with anyone in training group. Reiner and Bertholdt were questionable, but still.

Annie was emotionless and didn't show them very well, like she was afraid to expose herself. Her matter of speaking was cold and brisk, like you were someone she didn't like very well but she was forced to be partners with. This made her disliked by many of the members in the training group and she seemed to have no close bonds to anyone. But this also worked to her advantage. While sacrificing the gift of having friends, she was able to move on even in death's way and not let emotions blind her. She could move past something more easily and handle it more in a calmer, more collected manner.

But that also made her very independent, and that limited her teamwork skills. Perhaps this was why Mikasa was always at least one step ahead of Annie when it came to training, even when Annie worked to the bare bones. Emotion and friendly backing can add a lot after all. But then again, Mikasa seemed to pertain a natural talent at everything that very few people had.

Armin had been going under the theory for a while that Annie was a lot nicer than a lot of people gave her credit for and that the more cold and stoic side was just a façade to put on so she didn't have to face any hardships of losing anyone again like she had Mina.

But his theory was all based on guesswork. He had never seen Annie struggle emotionally with anything really, so he couldn't be quite sure. He liked to think that though. He respected her and she definitely at least treated him decently and formally, which is more than he can say she treated other people.

Well… there was one time. It had been a while ago, but Armin remembered it quite well.

It was when they had first gotten their 3D-maneuver gear and passed through the training of balancing on them. Now that they had passed the first step, they had to do the next part which was actually using the mechanisms and learning how to fight in them.

The instructor had given them a brief explanation on how to use their tools before saying that they were ready to practice. Nervous murmurs immediately had filled the crowd. The guy hadn't even shown them a physical demonstration! What kind of lesson was that?

They had been lead to a nearby forest that had a lot of trees to use as leverage and had immediately gotten to work. Armin had decided to go to the middle of the woods so he could have a little privacy from the more eager soldiers launching them at everything so he could practice.

He quickly learned that if you balanced your weight as you flew and performed certain moves and had a quick aim, the devices were quite easy to use. They were also were very fun. You were able to zip along and float without having to worry about falling down. It was the closest thing they had to being like birds and being able to fly in the sky, something he always wished he could do.

As he quickly began practicing getting used to the tool, he could hear the cheers and whoops coming from all of his teammates. Connie had been practically shouting like a madman with laughter as he moved across. Marco had been excitedly chattering with Jean as he got the hang of things and Eren and Mikasa were practically leaping off tree to tree with ease.

Armin had been grinning at all the excitement and happiness radiating off all of his comrades. He had to admit it was fun to use the gear and see all of them so happy. Training had been so rigorous lately, so it was nice to just do have fun for once and move around like this.

Armin was sure once they had to actually use the device against a Titan, it wouldn't be as fun, but for now, they could learn to toy around with the gear and use it for simple fun like this.

As he moved along, Armin began surveying the ground below tactically, imagining about him looking for lost teammates or enemy Titans when suddenly, he saw something that had gotten his interest.

He had watched as one of the members of his squad (he couldn't identify who yet) whose 3D maneuver gear latched onto a branch of a lower hanging tree. But instead of the person immediately shooting up and latching the gear onto the next tree… the person swung forward and instead of trying to latch the hook onto the next tree which was a bit closer, shot the hook to early. The metal claws of the gear had clicked uselessly with nothing but air, causing the person who shot it to fall to the ground.

Armin had immediately swung down towards the ground to go and help his teammate, wondering who the heck it was. When he lighted down and landed gracefully on his feet like a cat, he had been shocked to see who was trying to stiffly pick themselves off the ground.

If it wasn't for the nasty glare she had been shooting him, he would've probably thought it was someone else in disguise. But no one could mimic an Annie glare. That was her trademark and hers alone.

He had stood there, debating whether or not to go and help her. He was at a loss of what to do. Usually, Annie was the one who was the explaining brusquely what to do to others who had fallen, not the other way around, and she knew it too. Her glare was colder than a snake's, and he was afraid if he offered to help her up, she would punch him in the face or something.

So he just stood as she tried to stiffly push herself back up, her jaw tightening as she gritted her teeth. She was likely in pain after a fall like that. Her knees and arms wobbled and her progress of getting up was using more exertion then it normally should. Her crystal-blue eyes never left his sight though, still glaring expectantly at him.

Armin had stood in inner debate for a few moments longer before finally, his morality couldn't handle to watch anymore and he offered a hand out in front of Annie and asked, "Do you need some help?"

He noticed a flicker of surprise cross Annie's expression for only a moment, like the flicker of a flame on a candle, before it was quickly replaced with coldness again. Her eyes scanned him up and down, as if she was looking for some sign of maliciousness out of him before finally, she asked, "Why do you want to help me, Armin? Do you know how many people would laugh at me if they saw me in this situation? Are you wanting to laugh at me?"

Armin had blinked and said, "No, Annie. Why would I laugh at you? I just want to help you out."

"People can be cruel, Armin. They're not always what they seem. But people know statuses… and when you make yourself tough and unlikable… it takes quite a bit of work to uphold that. One mistake and you are mocked." Annie said coldly. He remembered her eyes darkening slightly as she said that, her voice going icy. He had to admit, her eyes were the most expressive part of it… revealing, if only for a moment, what exactly she was feeling.

She then smirked emotionlessly, "If people saw someone like me was unable to properly use the gear, do you know how cast down upon I would be?"

Armin stood in silence, his hand still out, thoughtfully debating her words. Her words did hold some relevance after all. She was right after all. The world could be cruel and even your closest friends can hold malicious intents. If people didn't like someone, they would exploit their faults to the highest degree, and he had to be honest, no one really truly liked Annie.

He wondered that if one of the other members learned that Annie was struggling to use the maneuver gear, would they make fun and belittle her? Who knows? But he knew that not everyone was as malicious as Annie was making them out to be. Mikasa and Eren flashed across his mind for a split moment… and how they had always rescued him when he needed them most.

"The world is also full of kindness too Annie… and even if it's hard, sometimes, you got to rely on the help of someone sometimes. You got to learn how to trust sometimes." Armin said, pushing his hand out a little more encouragingly.

Annie also went into a thoughtful silence, like she was mulling over his words… before she roughly pushed herself upwards with a heavy grunt, her eyes wincing with pain, her teeth biting her pale lips tightly. Leaning a hand on a tree branch for support, she had managed to successfully pull herself up to her feet, panting a little.

Once she had finally felt steady, Armin had retreated his hand disappointedly as she ran a hand through her straw-blonde hair and said, "That's the problem with pride, Armin. Trust doesn't come easily, and the urge to prove your stronger than everyone else takes over seeking help."

Armin had nodded at that, deciding not to push. He knew that Annie was stubborn to her beliefs and that she wasn't going to change it. So he wasn't going to bother to try. Still… he felt bad about just leaving her behind. But she didn't want his help and she would probably get physical if he stuck around.

Reluctantly turning his heel, Armin was about to shoot his gear back up so he could zip back to base… when he had heard a voice behind him say, "But that doesn't mean it can't make an exception once or twice… do you know how to use this gear?"

Armin had felt a small smile tug on his lips, and he was glad that his back was towards Annie, because if she had seen it, she probably would've changed her mind. He could practically feel her blush from here after all. Quickly wiping it off his face and trying to not let his happiness leak into his voice as he turned around and said, "Yes! I do! Here, let me show you…"

* * *

It hadn't taken long at all for Annie to master the gear. Really, all it had taken was explaining how to shift your weight and giving her a visual example, and she was ready to go, already mastering how to move around on it and learning how to aim for more in range targets.

She landed with perfect grace in front of him and he had chirped, "Good job, Annie! You are really good at this. Hell, your better than me already… and you had just learned!"

He was about to say more when suddenly, he heard her coldly say with a warning glare, "You tell no one about this, you hear?"

He had immediately been shocked into silence and he had nodded obediently, not wanting to test her. He wasn't really that surprised or offended though. He kind of expected a reaction like this out of Annie. But still, he was a little disappointed she hadn't opened up a little more to him…

Deciding he probably shouldn't stick around, he had turned once more to head back to the entrance of the woods, when he heard Annie say, "Hey, Armin…"

Not turning around, he had curiously asked, "Hm?"

"Thank you for not laughing…and thank you for everything else as well…"

"O-oh! No problem, Annie. It was nothing. If I was in the same situation, I would want someone to treat me the same." Armin had stuttered, caught off-guard by the thanks. But, even within all the utter shock, he felt a bit of happiness bloom in him. So, she really was nice.

Then with that, he had shot off. Any other person would look back at that memory and just consider it some small act of kindness they had done for a person in need and nothing more. A miniscule memory that amounted to nothing in the end. Something that should be forgotten. But to Armin, it was a lot more than that. It was something stronger than that.

It was the day he discovered that Annie Lenonhart really did have feelings and emotions.

* * *

**A/N: As always, critique is wanted! ~**

**This was technically my contribution to Armin's birthday so... yeah. Happy Birthday, my sweet little friend!**


End file.
